Bullet Points: Everything You Need to Know About the Future of the Keystone Pipeline

Through a series of statements, President Obama has made it clear that tackling climate change is his top priority before the Republicans take over power on Capitol Hill in January. This  past week Obama signed a carbon emission agreement with China, one the largest polluters in the world, as well as directed the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with implementing their new clean energy guidelines. In an effort to thwart this environmental crusade, leadership on Capitol Hill has decided to move forward with a bill to approve construction on the Keystone XL Pipeline, which the White House has repeatedly criticized. Here's a quick guide to the current hullabaloo on the Keystone Pipeline. Democratic leadership thinks the bill could help their standing in blue collar communities. Specifically Democratic leadership has set it up for Mary Landrieu, who is currently running in a December 6 recount election against Bill Cassidy, to introduce the bill, which would be a big boon for jobs in her home state of Louisiana. The Senate is expected at to have at least 58 supporters of the bill, although it needs 60 votes for passage. The White House will likely veto the bill. While Obama has made it clear that he isn't the biggest fan of the Keystone Pipeline, a veto on a bill fast tracking the project will have more to do with bureaucratic red tape than political statements. The State Department is still in the process of reviewing the environmental impact of building the pipeline, and the White House will likely say that they need to veto any legislation that attempts to build the pipeline before that review is completed. Most Americans want the pipeline, and think it will create jobs. Pew Research found that 59 percent of Americans are supportive of Keystone, with staunch liberals being the only demographic that majorly opposes the project. A Washington Post - ABC poll found that 69 percent of Americans "strongly believed" that building the pipeline will create jobs.